“How Far We’ve Come” Joe Donaldson

Florida-based ADC Member animates the fight against AIDS

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, a day when Americans reflect on their blessings, great and small.For those who live with HIV, as well as the scientists, doctors and caregivers who have been on the frontline towards eradicating the disease, there is plenty to be thankful for. For it is with their efforts that HIV infection could be reduced to zero by 2030.

Sarasota, Florida-based art director, animator and ADC Member Joe Donaldson recently worked with The New York Times’ T Brand Studio to create “How Far We’ve Come,” an animated film in the form of a timeline charting many of the major events, milestones and breakthroughs in the fight against AIDS. “The main hope for this film is that it could offer perspective on this global crisis, as well as spread hope for what is to come in the attainable goal of creating an AIDS-free world,” says Joe. “With “How Far We’ve Come” I didn’t just want to create a film that was about a specific style or animation technique. I wanted it to be more of a tonal piece that was equally about the feeling and rhythm of the film as it was the pixels themselves.”

More often than not, music and sound design are left for the latter stages of production. For this film, Joe wanted audio to have equal emphasis as the visuals themselves. “From the beginning of the production, David Kamp and I worked together to set the tone and general structure of the film,” explains Joe. “Given the reduced animation style, our intent was to create a musical grid that every moment of the film could align to. In the end, through music and the simple graphic language, our hope was for the film to feel approachable and informative.”